The five people with alleged Maoist links arrested on Monday in connection to January's Bhima-Koregaon violence, knew about a plan for a Rajiv Gandhi-type of assassination of an important political figure, it has been claimed.
The public prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar made the revelations in a special court on Thursday, saying documents seized from the arrested persons say that a banned organisation, Communist Party of India (Maoist), was planning the assassination.
Pawar said that Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen and Rona Wilson were planning to purchase weapons for the act that would be funded by CPI (Maoist). While arguing for their police custody, Pawar stated that all five have strong links with the Maoist organisation, which has been proven by incriminating evidence found by cops.
"One of the letters seized from Wilson's house says that a member of the banned organisation had written to another member, proposing a Rajiv Gandhi-type incident," Pawar said, adding, "The sender mentions that it sounds suicidal and there is a chance that they might fail, but the party must deliberate the proposal." Pawar also told the court that the letter mentions procurement of a M4 gun and four lakh rounds.
CPI (Maoist) also helped fund the Elgaar Parishad held in Pune on December 31, 2017. "It has been established that CPI (Maoist) provided two rounds of funds to Dhawale for the Elgaar Parishad," Pawar said. "Apart from that, Shoma and Gadling were authorised to provide funds for the future programs."
The Defence counsel argued that the case against the five is fabricated, and also questioned police about invoking the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against them while it had not been invoked for right wing activists Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide, who were also booked in the violence that killed one earlier this year.
"The present government has different sets of parameters for different sets of people," a defence lawyer argued.
Meanwhile, Pune police said the seized letters contained references to the Congress party as well as Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh president and dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar. "We are still investigating the details," said joint commissioner Ravindra Kadam, adding that documents seized from Gadling, a lawyer, show his indirect connection with the recent Maoist attacks in Gadchiroli and Chhattisgarh. "We are investigating to find out how deeply people are involved with Maoists activities," Kadam said
All five persons have been remanded to police custody till June 14.
The Charge
Public prosecutor Ujjwala Pawar said Sudhir Dhawale, Surendra Gadling, Mahesh Raut, Shoma Sen and Rona Wilson were planning to purchase weapons for the act that would be funded by CPI (Maoist).
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Sudhir Dhawale")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}